Radio duo moves to podcast

Published: Monday, July 14, 2014 at 10:05 AM.

After more than two decades in radio, Britt Whitmire was ready for a change.

Unfortunately — or fortunately depending upon the point of view — he had to make it quickly.

That’s how Whitmire, who lives in Whitsett, made the leap from what he calls “corporate radio” to podcasting the once radio talk show he’s shared for a decade with on-air partner Brad Krantz. The Brad & Britt Show, a staple of Piedmont talk radio coming from Burlington until the duo left for WBT in Charlotte in 2012, returned after a short hiatus last week. The first podcast was released on July 7.

For Whitmire and Krantz, whose former morning show once originated from a studio at Burlington’s WZTK, it was a liberating experience.

“It’s close to the Fourth of July, so we are declaring our independence from corporate radio,” Whitmire said in a prepared statement. He later elaborated in an email conversation. The breakup with WBT, an all-talk station that moved the Brad & Britt Show from morning to afternoon, wasn’t what observers would call amicable. Ownership elected not to renew the show’s contract.

“I got to the point where I hated radio. I’m not happy to admit that, but it’s true,” Whitmire said. “The WBT experience was pretty awful, but I was working for people who didn’t like what we were doing and were passive-aggressive until the very end. That was tough. It got to be depressing. If it hadn’t been for the fans who continued to cheer us on, I don’t know what I would have done.”

The Brad & Britt Podcast, hosted by the Relm Network, follows the format Whitmire and Krantz have used for years. They talk about politics, current events, sports and things that occur in daily life, but with a sense of humor and from multiple points of view — not simply liberal or conservative, although the show leans to the left. Any topic or political point of view might be ripe for comedic or satirical skewering by Whitmire and Krantz.

It can be recorded wherever the on-air personalities are. Listeners can download it starting weekday afternoons for free at BradandBritt.com. The podcast will be available on subscription apps like iTunes and Stitcher. It can be played from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.

It’ll be a different kind of show, but still basically the same, Whitmire said.

“I’m glad we have this, and I think people like the ‘rebel’ feel of this. This is nothing like corporate radio and — even though we’re not going to curse or be graphic — we can say some things on the podcast we couldn’t say on the radio,” Whitmire said.

Krantz called the change moving into the present of broadcasting as opposed to the future.

“I’m hearing the word ‘disruption’ a lot, and it explains what we’re doing perfectly. We intend on disrupting the old, radio way of doing business. Our fans want to hear us without long commercial breaks and repetitive traffic and weather reports,” said Krantz, a legend in Triad radio dating to the 1980s, when he dominated the ratings at Rock 92 as the morning drive-time DJ. He later moved into talk with WBT before teaming up with Whitmire in Burlington in 2004.

Whitmire agreed with Krantz that moving into podcasting isn’t a concession to the future of radio. It’s what should be going on now as listener trends change. He said on a recent trip to New York he was in a room of radio executives, and characterized the level of denial as “Rumsfeldian.”

“One gentleman, who has a big reputation in the business, challenged everyone in a large ballroom to tell him that fewer people are listening to talk radio today than 10 years ago,” Whitmire recalled. “I didn’t feel like a public fight, but it’s obvious that most talk stations are relegated to the AM band, and in any given market, 85-90 percent of people never listen to AM radio at all. They can’t even agree that there’s a disease, so we never get around to looking for a cure.”

The podcast will be advertiser-supported with sponsors coming from North Carolina as well as national companies, Whitmire said.

“We can offer some unique partnerships that radio simply can’t offer, and fans who download our podcast are motivated to support our sponsors and, ultimately, us,” Whitmire said.

Whitmire and Krantz hope their popularity in the state’s largest markets will pay off. At WZTK, the coverage spread from Greensboro to Raleigh-Durham with a signal that reaches 22 percent of the state’s population. They found more fans during two years in Charlotte.

“No one else can say they’ve had the influence we’ve had in the three biggest radio markets in the state over the past decade,” Krantz said.

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After more than two decades in radio, Britt Whitmire was ready for a change.

Unfortunately — or fortunately depending upon the point of view — he had to make it quickly.

That’s how Whitmire, who lives in Whitsett, made the leap from what he calls “corporate radio” to podcasting the once radio talk show he’s shared for a decade with on-air partner Brad Krantz. The Brad & Britt Show, a staple of Piedmont talk radio coming from Burlington until the duo left for WBT in Charlotte in 2012, returned after a short hiatus last week. The first podcast was released on July 7.

For Whitmire and Krantz, whose former morning show once originated from a studio at Burlington’s WZTK, it was a liberating experience.

“It’s close to the Fourth of July, so we are declaring our independence from corporate radio,” Whitmire said in a prepared statement. He later elaborated in an email conversation. The breakup with WBT, an all-talk station that moved the Brad & Britt Show from morning to afternoon, wasn’t what observers would call amicable. Ownership elected not to renew the show’s contract.

“I got to the point where I hated radio. I’m not happy to admit that, but it’s true,” Whitmire said. “The WBT experience was pretty awful, but I was working for people who didn’t like what we were doing and were passive-aggressive until the very end. That was tough. It got to be depressing. If it hadn’t been for the fans who continued to cheer us on, I don’t know what I would have done.”

The Brad & Britt Podcast, hosted by the Relm Network, follows the format Whitmire and Krantz have used for years. They talk about politics, current events, sports and things that occur in daily life, but with a sense of humor and from multiple points of view — not simply liberal or conservative, although the show leans to the left. Any topic or political point of view might be ripe for comedic or satirical skewering by Whitmire and Krantz.

It can be recorded wherever the on-air personalities are. Listeners can download it starting weekday afternoons for free at BradandBritt.com. The podcast will be available on subscription apps like iTunes and Stitcher. It can be played from any computer, smartphone, or tablet.

It’ll be a different kind of show, but still basically the same, Whitmire said.

“I’m glad we have this, and I think people like the ‘rebel’ feel of this. This is nothing like corporate radio and — even though we’re not going to curse or be graphic — we can say some things on the podcast we couldn’t say on the radio,” Whitmire said.

Krantz called the change moving into the present of broadcasting as opposed to the future.

“I’m hearing the word ‘disruption’ a lot, and it explains what we’re doing perfectly. We intend on disrupting the old, radio way of doing business. Our fans want to hear us without long commercial breaks and repetitive traffic and weather reports,” said Krantz, a legend in Triad radio dating to the 1980s, when he dominated the ratings at Rock 92 as the morning drive-time DJ. He later moved into talk with WBT before teaming up with Whitmire in Burlington in 2004.

Whitmire agreed with Krantz that moving into podcasting isn’t a concession to the future of radio. It’s what should be going on now as listener trends change. He said on a recent trip to New York he was in a room of radio executives, and characterized the level of denial as “Rumsfeldian.”

“One gentleman, who has a big reputation in the business, challenged everyone in a large ballroom to tell him that fewer people are listening to talk radio today than 10 years ago,” Whitmire recalled. “I didn’t feel like a public fight, but it’s obvious that most talk stations are relegated to the AM band, and in any given market, 85-90 percent of people never listen to AM radio at all. They can’t even agree that there’s a disease, so we never get around to looking for a cure.”

The podcast will be advertiser-supported with sponsors coming from North Carolina as well as national companies, Whitmire said.

“We can offer some unique partnerships that radio simply can’t offer, and fans who download our podcast are motivated to support our sponsors and, ultimately, us,” Whitmire said.

Whitmire and Krantz hope their popularity in the state’s largest markets will pay off. At WZTK, the coverage spread from Greensboro to Raleigh-Durham with a signal that reaches 22 percent of the state’s population. They found more fans during two years in Charlotte.

“No one else can say they’ve had the influence we’ve had in the three biggest radio markets in the state over the past decade,” Krantz said.